Fortune
by Obi1kenobe
Summary: Paily AU - Follow up to Serendipity. With fame comes fortune, and Emily and Paige must now navigate their new relationship through the obstacles that arise because of it.
1. Chapter 1

**"There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune." - William Shakespeare**

"My plane is supposed to leave soon. I can't stay." Emily Fields murmured the words against lips that were determinedly stealing her rational thoughts.

Although they were in plain view of anyone that wanted to walk into the lounge of the Roosevelt hotel, Paige McCullers couldn't help but pull Emily even closer, running her hands down the sides of the silky dress and eliciting a gasp from the exotic beauty. Paige finally had the woman she loved in her arms, and she wasn't prepared to give her up just yet. "I'm coming with you to the airport then."

"You have to be- God!" Emily exclaimed as Paige brushed a kiss on her neck, "-here for the party."

"So what?" Paige husked as she ran her thumbs over Emily's rib cage. "I can do both. What I'm not going to do is let you out of my sight until I have to."

Emily's control was cracking under Paige's insistent hands and lips, and she finally grabbed a fistful of the singer's hair and pulled her head away so that she could think. "Wait wait wait," she gasped. Looking back at her were Paige's deep brown eyes, low light and desire dialating them into a much darker hue than normal and her full lashes serving to hood them seductively. "Paige, I really have to go."

Paige chuckled and responded, "I'm really coming with you."

Emily stared, but the other girl was unwavering. Finally, she kissed Paige hard and said, "All right. Let's go."

Paige nodded, victorious for the moment, and took Emily by the waist as they walked outside to bid farewell to the rest of the band. As they wove through people on the busy patio, Emily held tightly to Paige's arm with both hands, luxuriating in the warmth and strength she found there.

As soon as they reached Julie, the little guitarist's hazel eyes narrowed on them shrewdly and she said in typical Julie fashion, "Fucking finally, McCullers Go get a room."

Paige smiled broadly and then hugged Julie tightly, "I'll be back in a while."

"Fine. Now leave."

As the pair exited the hotel, camera flashes sparked blindingly on their way to the limousine, and Paige, playing her part, waved and smiled while paparazzi yelled her name.

Once safely inside the car, Paige looked over to her companion, nervousness written in her furrowed brows. "So are you sure you want to do this? Everyone you know is about to know about us- including your parents. Fuck, your grandparents, your friends, your _enemies_, and the rest of your clients will know too."

Emily's face softened at the concern, and she touched Paige's cheek, "I'll definitely need to talk to my parents tomorrow before they read it in some trashy magazine, but as for everyone else, I don't care. You're what matters to me."

Paige breathed a sigh of relief. "Good," she said as she reached for Emily to make sure she made the most of the short amount of time she had left.

* * *

"Paige!" Emily grabbed the hand that was drifting down to the zipper of her dress, "I'm not going to make it back in time for my meeting." The limo was parked on the runway, where it had been for the last half hour. Emily was parked in Paige's lap, where she had also been for the last half hour.

Paige groaned and bit Emily's sensitive earlobe lightly with her teeth. "Can't you reschedule?" she whined.

"No, but I'll try to come see you in Atlanta," Emily said as she hissed out a breath.

Paige growled at that. "But that's a week away. Stay with me."

"Paige-"

"Fine. I get it. This does not make me like this tour any more."

Emily held Paige's face in her hands, "One more month. You can do it." She gently kissed Paige again, and then she slid off her lap, readjusting her dress and running a hand through her mussed hair. When she was done, Paige opened the car door and helped her out and then they walked hand-in-hand to the plane's awaiting stairs. There, Emily wrapped her arms around Paige's neck and kissed her soundly one more time, "I'll call you tomorrow."

Paige nodded, a scowl heavy on her face. "Be safe," she commanded as Emily turned and entered the plane.

Paige stood near the jet while the stairs were retracted and the door sealed, neatly and airtightly shutting her off from the only thing she wanted. As the engines roared into motion, Paige's melancholy settled in.

* * *

Early the next morning in Nashville, Tennessee, as the jet carrying Emily flew practically overhead, Alison DiLaurentis picked up the complimentary newspaper that had been left outside of her hotel suite. Opening it alongside her breakfast, she was shocked to see Emily Fields' face in the Entertainment section, pictured holding hands with Paige McCullers from the band with the current number one album in the country.

"My my. Someone has certainly grown up," she said quietly as she sipped her latte.

* * *

"She wrote you a song?" Aria asked from where she sat on her desktop.

The four girls were all in the office of the HMF talent agency, a feat of togetherness that they hadn't managed in several months. Emily, sitting characteristically by the window with her leg curled under her, was catching them up on her whirlwind and world-altering trip.

"That's like, the most romantic thing ever." Hanna smiled dreamily, closing her laptop and leaning back in her chair. "Travis buys me dinner and thinks he's good for a month."

"Trouble in paradise?" Spencer asked dryly from her desk.

"No," Hanna sighed, "He's just not-"

Spencer groaned and stopped Hanna before she finished. "Oh my god, if you say Caleb, I will personally come over to your house and tie-dye all your clothes while you sleep."

"And I'll go tell Toby you're still pinging after him." Hanna retorted as she crossed her arms in triumph.

"You 'pine' after someone, Hanna, you don't 'ping.' If you're going to threaten me, at least use the right word."

"Whatever. I'll tell him you still want to jump his bones. And I can because Mom just hired him to replace the bannister in her house."

"You wouldn't-"

"Truce! Time out," Aria called, making a 'T' with her hands. "I want to hear about Paige and Em."

Emily shrugged. "There's not much else to tell. She wrote me a song, told me she loves me, and then I came back home for my meeting this morning, and she had to head back out on tour." The weight of the expanse of country between Paige and her sat heavily on Emily's heart, and she sighed aloud. "I'm going to try to see her in Atlanta in a week."

Spencer picked up the newspaper she had on her desk and hiked it up in the air. "Nice pictures of you guys making out in the Roosevelt, by the way. Subtle."

Emily winced, "Yeah, not how I wanted my mom to find out, but she called me this morning and made sure she got in a 'told you so.'"

"Oh please, who didn't think you were in love with her?" Hanna raised her hand. "Other than the oblivious." Spencer amended.

Just then, Emily's phone rang, and she hopped up to answer it, hoping it was Paige. When she saw who it was, she frowned, "Hi David. How are you?"

Not bothering to say hello, he launched in practically mid-conversation. "My dear girl! I must congratulate you. I didn't think she'd be tamed, but that song was most definitely for you! She clearly couldn't see anyone else last night but you."

Taken aback, Emily wasn't sure how to respond to that, "Thanks," she said awkwardly.

"And those photos! Goodness! You certainly left tongues wagging. I'm happy for you, of course, but as her manager, you must know that her being single right now makes her a lot more marketable."

"What exactly are you saying?" she asked warily.

She heard David laugh through the phone, but it only served to accentuate what was clearly a warning. "Oh, just that maybe you should tone it down. You know how it is, my darling. Be less public with your little trysts. Let her go out alone and be seen with other people. Let the public think she's available. That sort of thing."

Emily was stunned. She hadn't expected such a stinging dressing-down of her relationship, if it could even be called that, the day after it began. Not see Paige? Let her go out on dates so that she appeared single? It made Emily so dizzy she simply said, "I understand" to David just to get him to stop talking.

"Good! Good! I knew you would!" she heard him say as she hung up.

"Em?" Aria asked, "What was that all about?"

Emily blew out a shaky breath and put a hand to her forehead, "Fame and fortune can really suck."


	2. Chapter 2

**"A celebrity is one who is known to many persons he is glad he doesn't know." - Lord Byron**

"Paige." Emily answered the phone with only that word, the name that she had fallen asleep thinking about while waiting for the call.

"You sound tired," the gravelly voice on the other end of the line said into her ear.

"That's because," Emily looked at the clock by her bed, "it's three a.m. here."

"Fuck. I forgot about the time difference. We just got done with the show a little while ago. This is the first time I've had alone. Did I wake you up?"

Smiling, Emily snuggled back into her pillow, "Yes, but I'm glad you called. I needed to hear your voice."

"Everything okay?" Paige asked, suddenly concerned.

Emily was tempted to tell her about the conversation with their record exec, but information like that would surely set Paige off, so she kept it to herself. She'd figure out how to deal with that later. "I just miss you," she said instead, "It's crazy how much. Atlanta can't come soon enough."

Paige sighed loudly. "I know. Those pictures in that fucking newspaper have made the photogs insane. I can't go out of my hotel without someone asking about who you are."

"I'm sorry. We should have been more careful." Emily bit her lip as she absently watched the softly shifting patterns on her ceiling of moonlight through clouds.

The singer scoffed, "I'm not gonna stop living my life because of that, Em. I hope you haven't changed your mind."

"No, of course not. Maybe just not be quite so public next time."

Paige chuckled. "I'm beginning to think there isn't a place that they don't consider public. They even take pictures of me buying groceries for the road." Paige looked over at the clock in her hotel room, "Damn, you need your sleep. I'll call you tomorrow."

Emily tried to stifle a yawn but failed. "Okay."

"Em?"

"Yeah?"

"Sleep well."

* * *

"What's the big news?" Hanna unceremoniously plopped down into a seat at the Grill and tossed her bag and sunglasses haphazardly on the table. Aria, Emily, and Spencer were already seated and had been there a while if the pools of sweat from their water glasses were any indication.

Spencer frowned at her blonde friend as she looked pointedly at her watch, "I would have known twenty minutes ago if you'd arrived on time."

Hanna shrugged, "I was shopping. The new Jimmy Choos came out. So like, duh! I had to buy them before my size ran out."

Spencer closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, but said nothing more.

Emily directed her attention to Aria, anxious to hear something other than bickering. "How was your night with Ezra?" Ezra had come back from New York the evening before in a surprise visit, showing up at the agency's office and whisking Aria away to some special dinner he had planned.

Aria's smile was wide, and she looked down at her fidgeting fingers in her lap. "It was great, actually. That's kinda what I wanted to talk to you guys about. Ezra proposed." She held up her left hand and showed the ring.

Hanna clapped excitedly, "Holy crap! Did you say yes?!"

"Of course she said yes Hanna- hence the ring on her finger," Spencer snapped, and then she stood up to hug Aria. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you."

The other girls quickly engulfed their tiny friend in a group hug, and when they pulled away, she said, "So I need a few bridesmaids. Would you guys do me the honor?"

They all enthusiastically agreed and immediately began talking about dresses and bridal showers and wedding venues and very _very_ scary mothers-in-law.

* * *

By the time the band made it to Atlanta two days later, Emily was sure she would scream if she heard one more thing about engagements or weddings. All she wanted was to curl up in Paige's arms and forget rings and dresses for a few days. Paige wasn't much for either, so she figured she had a good shot at getting what she wanted.

"So are you gonna tell Paige what David said?" Spencer asked from the driver's seat as she drove Emily to the airport.

Emily closed her eyes, "Not if I can help it."

Spencer huffed, "If you need to, blame it on me. She already doesn't like me."

"Spence, if I'm not going to tell her David said it, I'm certainly not going to tell her _you_ said it. I'll just- work around it somehow."

"What? Like tell her you just don't want to kiss her in public and then encourage her to go out on fake dates? Great plan there."

"Ugh! Can we just not talk about it right now? Please?" Emily's stomach was tying itself in knots at the prospect.

Spencer looked mollified, "Sorry, Em. I don't envy you. I just wish I had a good solution."

Emily glanced out the window. The winter months were making way for Spring, and only small patches of snow were left on the ground. Little green shoots were sprouting everywhere, decrying their host's deathly appearance, joyously showing the world they had made it through another winter and were readying themselves to burst with new lushness. Emily mentally shook herself out of the doldrums she was sinking into. This was her Spring. She loved Paige, and she wasn't going to let anything get in the way of that, not after everything they had already weathered to get here.

* * *

Paige was laying on a big soft sofa in her room after the concert. The crowd had been enthusiastic, and she had fed off their energy. Her shirt was still damp from sweat and little tendrils of hair had dried stuck to her neck and forehead. When the knock came at her hotel door, she yelled, "Come in! The door is unlocked."

Julie Klaxton wasn't a subtle type of person. She was small, and she had seemingly learned along the way that in order to be heard, she needed to be loud, blunt, and profane. "Fuck, McCullers, you didn't take a shower? I can smell your funk from the goddamn door. Isn't Emily coming tonight?"

Paige didn't budge from her position. "Don't come in if you don't like it. And Emily isn't gonna be here for a few more hours."

Julie walked in, rounded the large sofa, and sat directly on Paige's stomach. Not bothering to address the loud "oof" her best friend expelled, she looked down into her eyes, "I need to talk to you about something, and you aren't allowed to get pissed."

"Well, that means I'm probably gonna be pissed about it anyway," Paige said matter of factly.

"True." Julie sighed aloud, "Your dad called me."

Paige sat up immediately, unseating Julie roughly as she jumped to her feet. "He what?!" Her blood was beginning to boil, and she looked around for something to hold onto to keep from ripping the room apart. Her eyes alit on the bar in the corner.

"He just wants to know how you're doing. He's been seeing you on TV and everywhere else now that you're famous. It was bound to happen, Paige."

Paige stalked to the bar and pulled out a bottle, quickly unstoppering it, bypassing the glass, and pouring it directly into her mouth. When her mouth was full, she swallowed it, coughing a little at the burn. "Fuck that! Tell him never to call you again." Her voice came out as little more than a rasp.

Julie clambered up from the spot Paige had dumped her in. "You aren't the boss of me, McCullers. I can do what I want. And I like your dad. For fuck's sake, talk to him. Carrie is gone; you're with Emily now. I mean-"

"I'm not with Emily," Paige growled.

It was Julie's turn to shout now, "Paige! Stop being a shit because you're upset! That's what got you here. Yes, you _are_ with Emily."

Paige shook her head negatively. "We haven't really talked about what it all means yet," she finished quietly, leaning on the bar and replacing the top to the whiskey bottle.

Julie walked over and patted Paige on the shoulder, "It means you ride off into the sunset together." She turned to leave but then another thought occurred to her and she turned her head, her brown pony tail whipping behind her, "Call your dad. But take a shower first 'cause fuck, you stink."

* * *

Emily waited quietly by the door. When she arrived at the Four Seasons in Atlanta, she was escorted to a suite high in the building by a bellhop and a personal attendant, both of whom took her bags and showed her graciously to Paige's hotel room. As they walked, one ahead and one behind, Emily felt a little like she was being led to a cell by jailors. Paige's security certainly had changed quite a bit.

The attendant knocked softly on the door with the back of his knuckles. "Miss McCullers, your guest has arrived," he said through the door.

The door swung in suddenly, and Emily's breath flew from her chest. She wondered if it would ever _not_ be like this when she saw Paige- this all-consuming love that was always just hovering at the brim when the singer wasn't around, that then spilled over in great sloshes when she was, as if her presence somehow turned on the faucet full blast and the reservoir in Emily's heart just wasn't big enough to hold it all.

Paige glanced, annoyed, at the attendant and the bellhop. "Leave the stuff here. You can go now." The gentlemen, apparently used to such requests, excused themselves and hurried back the way they came, leaving Emily and Paige alone.

Paige's eyes softened, and she lifted her lips into a half-grin, "Hey, you. Wanna come inside?" She gestured with a nod of her head to the room behind her and stepped out and grabbed Emily's small bags. Emily followed her into the room as she set them to the side near a couch, and then turned around and reached for the black-haired girl who was smiling shyly back at her. "Come here."

Emily quickly melded herself to Paige's body, reaching high around her shoulders and tightening her grip as Paige's arms came around her waist. They stood like that a moment, reveling in the closeness of each other's body, the familiar scent of skin and hair, the warmth of their breath on the other's neck. Then, without loosening her hold, Paige whispered into Emily's neck. "How was your flight?"

"Fine. Too long." Emily pulled her head back, and finally touched her lips to Paige's, but frowned when she tasted liquor on them. She opened her eyes, looking at Paige with a silent question.

Paige dropped her arms and pulled away, "It's been a long day," she said as an excuse, but there was a hooded and guarded look in her eyes. "Can I get you something to drink?" Paige asked as she walked over to the built-in bar and poured herself two fingers of blue label whiskey.

Emily watched the movement, wondering what Paige wasn't telling her, but decided against bringing it up. They didn't have much time, and she didn't want to spend it arguing. Instead, she walked over behind Paige, circling the girl's trim waist with her hands and caressing hard abdominal muscles through the soft t-shirt. "The only thing I want right now is you," she whispered into her ear as she set her chin on Paige's shoulder.

Paige took a sip of her drink and then set it down, spinning around to face Emily, "You have me."

Emily slowly lifted Paige's arms above her head, and then trailed her fingers down her upraised arms. "Good. Because right now, I'm going to show you how much I missed you." She tugged the t-shirt up and over the singer's head and then bent to kiss an exposed collarbone.

Paige sucked in a breath at the contact, "Jesus!" She lowered her arms and brought them to the other girl's hips, pulling them to her own as she tilted her head to the side, exposing her neck to Emily's seeking lips. "If you keep doing that, we won't make it to the bed," Paige said breathlessly.

Emily laughed lightly against Paige's skin, and then she leaned up and kissed Paige hotly, letting her tongue run over Paige's bottom lip before breaking the kiss to wink at her. "Then by all means, show me where the bedroom is."

Paige grinned and took Emily by the hand and walked her back to the suite's bedroom where a large four-poster bed sat in the middle. Paige turned around and took Emily by both hands, placing a gentle kiss on her lips, then her jaw, then her neck just under her ear. Emily purred contently as Paige let her hands go and moved to slowly unbutton her crisp white shirt, revealing soft brown skin, and then a pale lacy bra that accentuated Emily's round and firm breasts. Unable to help herself, she placed her hands on each breast, softly kneading them until she felt nipples harden under the lace and heard Emily sigh loudly. Next, she moved her hands down to the button on Emily's jeans, slowly unfastening them as Emily stepped out of her heels. When they were loose, Paige knelt down, kissing the skin on Emily's stomach as she peeled away the material, the other girl placing her hands on her shoulders for support as she pulled them free of her feet.

"You're so beautiful," Paige whispered in wonder as she looked up at the face framed by long black hair. "Sometimes I look at you and I can't even speak- not that there would be words to describe what I feel."

"Paige." Emily brought her hands to the sides of Paige's head, holding her as Paige knelt before her in deference. "I love you." The words tumbled effortlessly out of Emily, and she was again struck by the magnitude of her feelings.

Paige stood up and kissed Emily softly, humbly. "I love you, too," she said as she led Emily to the bed, and gently laid her down.

Emily watched as Paige removed the rest of her clothes, revealing the hardened body that seemed a little thinner than before. The demands of the tour were clearly visible in the sharp angles of the singer's hips and shoulders. "Come here," she demanded, lifting a hand to Paige and encouraging her to lay down beside her. When she and Paige were face to face in the bed, Emily reached up to caress Paige's cheek, watching the fluttering of thick lashes, and then she moved her hand to the nape of her neck and pulled her in for a slow and thorough exploration of her mouth, their tongues and lips tangling endlessly as their desire rose.

Paige's brain was short circuiting. Thoughts she had were scrambled. Words she wanted to say were lost. _Jesus fuck!_ were the only words her brain put together as Emily rolled over on top of her, and she could feel the heat between the other girl's legs on her stomach. She reached down and grabbed Emily's thighs, urging her to begin moving, needing friction as her body went from warm to hot and her kisses went from slow to urgent.

Emily's soft cry as she began to slide against the singer mingled with hot breath and loud gasps from the girl underneath her. When Paige reached between them and Emily felt fingers against her, she lifted up, grabbing onto the headboard with one hand and placing the other on Paige's chest to keep their connection.

Paige watched in awe as Emily's chest rose and fell heavily above her, eyes closed tightly as the need within her grew. It was like watching an ocean wave swell above her, its beauty swirling as it grew to a crescendo before crashing down upon her.

"Paige, I'm- God!" Emily's body went taut, and she threw her head back, her hair cascading down her back as the pressure within her released in her climax. And then as she shuddered one last time and collapsed back down into Paige's waiting arms, she heard a low and forceful "I love you" whispered in her ear.

* * *

"Aria is getting married," Emily commented suddenly as she laid her head on Paige's shoulder in the large soft bed, their legs tangled together as the sweat dried on their bodies under the soft whir of the ceiling fan.

Paige thought for a moment and stilled the gentle circles her fingertips had been making on Emily's back. She remembered that Aria's boyfriend was somewhere in New York for a while. _What the fuck is his name? Eric? No, something weirder than that. _"The guy in New York?"

Emily nodded, enjoying the rumble Paige's voice made under her ear. "Ezra. Yeah, he proposed a few days ago. He finished his book and got an advance from a publisher. So he's coming back to Rosewood."

"Must be nice to live close to your significant other," Paige replied absently.

Emily picked her head up and rolled so she could see Paige's face. "Would you ever think about moving closer to Rosewood? I mean, if you had the chance?"

Paige furrowed her brows. "Of course. I think about it all the time. I hate being away from you. You're the only thing that keeps me sane."

Emily's answering smile lit up her whole face, her white teeth shining brightly in contrast to her dark skin. Paige thought it was the closest thing she would ever come to witnessing perfection, and she moved to cover Emily's lips with her own. At some point, they really needed to talk about their relationship, but right now she had more important things to do, like show Emily just how much she loved her.


	3. Chapter 3

"**We are afraid to care too much, for fear that the other person does not care at all." - Eleanor Roosevelt**

"Hey Emily! It's great to see you," Craig enthused. "When Julie told us about you and Paige, I was a little surprised- but _good_ surprised. I mean, not really too surprised because who wouldn't fall for you?" He looked over at his fiancée and back pedaled at the scowl on Carrie's face. "Except me of course. Geez, I'm digging myself deeper. What I mean is, Paige is a lot calmer lately," he finished lamely.

Carrie huffed next to him, but said nothing much to Emily's appreciation. Maybe Carrie was finally ready to let go of Paige.

Julie, Craig, Carson, and Carrie had all met Paige and Emily at a diner in the Little Five Points area of Atlanta, a trendy place full of young hipsters. When the group walked in, the host recognized Paige and asked for her autograph, and she was still standing at the front of the restaurant talking to him.

Emily glanced behind her, a smile on her face as she watched Paige lean over the podium and charm her fan. "It's good to see you, too. And I'll take that as a compliment."

He grinned sheepishly, "As intended."

"While this fuckwad gets his foot out of his mouth, come sit down next to me and talk." Julie motioned Emily over to the table near her and pulled out a chair.

Emily grinned and tucked a long piece of hair behind her ear as she followed Julie's lead.

* * *

"Hello, you've reached HMF agency. This is Aria speaking. How may I help you?" Aria answered the phone at the office, pulling out a large earring and then tucking the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she continued to work on some sketches for one of their new client's website.

"Aria Montgomery?"

"Yep. That's me. Do I know you?"

The woman on the other end of the phone laughed melodically, and Aria thought she recognized it, but it had been so long and there was some extra Southern drawl in it. But still-

"It's Alison!"

Aria dropped her pencil and stood up, a smile breaking over her face, "Really? Alison DiLaurentis?!"

"You got it, sugar! Listen, I'm coming into town for a few days next week, and I looked you up on the off chance you still lived in Rosewood. Imagine my delight you're still there- and with your very own little business with our old friends! I'd love to see you. Can we make it happen?"

Aria quickly glanced at her calendar before replying, "I can free up some time, and I think it would be great to get the whole gang together again. I'll work it out with them if you send me the details."

"Great," Alison purred into the phone. "I'll text you." She paused for dramatic effect. "And Aria, I can't wait to catch up." As she hung up the phone, she pursed her lips into a smug grin. The first part of her plan went perfectly.

* * *

After brunch, Paige leaned heavily back in her chair, enjoying the sunshine of the restaurant's patio and the good-natured teasing between her friends at the table. She hadn't felt this relaxed in so long that she couldn't even remember when it had been. The breeze was blowing warmly through the trees above, ruffling their hair, and the leaves were casting shadows upon their faces.

"You missed that beat last night like you only had one arm," Julie poked Craig in his shoulder as he laughed and pushed her hand away.

"I was trying to match that flat chord you struck."

Paige chuckled and looked to the exotic girl at her side who was taking it all in with interest. Without thought, she reached over to caress Emily's neck, unable to keep from touching the skin exposed under a long braid. The smile that curled Emily's lips was the small intimate one she seemed to reserve just for Paige, and even though their eyes didn't meet, it made Paige's chest tighten with pride anyway. _Am I really this fucking fortunate?_

"Paige! Paige McCullers! Over here!"

She turned to see who was calling her and saw only a giant lens staring back.

_Apparently not._

Julie groaned as she saw the paparazzo. "Hey, Fucker! Take a picture of my ass instead!" She held up two middle fingers at him before Carson could stop her.

"Don't provoke him, Julie. That's exactly what he wants. If we just smile and wave at him, he'll go away sooner." Carson's voice never made it above a low whisper, but it effectively quieted the spirited guitarist.

"Fine. But you're a fucking buzz kill, Carson." She looked at her watch and then back at the paparazzo. "Let's go downtown then. There's gotta be a bar somewhere we can hide in." Julie got up from the table, tapping Carson on the head and then flipping the photographer off again before she started to walk toward the patio exit.

Carson adjusted his glasses, shrugged in his noncommittal way, and loped after her, his

long legs easily eating the distance between them as he caught up and held the door open for her.

"He's like a lovesick puppy except without the love part. It's so fucking weird," Paige said to her remaining friends, shaking her head in disbelief.

Craig gave a mock scowl. "Hey! That's my brother you're talking about."

Emily, whose mood had changed so drastically with the intrusion that she wasn't listening to the continued conversation, stood next, and Paige, surprised by the sudden movement, immediately followed suit, but Emily pushed her back down. "No, please sit. I'm just going to go make a phone call." She glanced back with trepidation at the photographer still snapping pictures. "Maybe he'll be gone when I get back."

Paige looked confused, "Who? The paparazzi guy? I thought you didn't care about it."

"I don't," Emily quickly lied as she folded her arms, rubbing them quickly in her nervousness, "I just don't want to give those magazines fodder if I don't have to." She flashed a smile that didn't meet her eyes. "I'll be back."

Paige made a noise to protest, but Emily had already moved inside the diner before she could fully articulate it.

Carrie was quick to adjust her seat closer to Paige, patting the singer on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Paige. She's just not used to all the attention. It was like that for me when we dated, too." Carrie rubbed her belly before continuing, "You know what? I'm feeling a little ill. Why don't we all leave?"

Paige, still confused and unsettled, nodded mutely as she got up and followed Craig and Carrie back in to find Emily. _Why the fuck would Emily care about some stupid pictures? Isn't it good for my image to have people following me around?_ Paige stopped in her tracks. _Maybe it's good for mine and bad for hers._

Walking from outside to inside left Paige slightly blind as the interior was much darker than the sunny porch. Still, she scanned the restaurant for Emily, and when Paige saw Emily's face illuminated by a cell phone screen, she noticed her manager was peering down at the phone with what looked like horror.

"Em?" Paige asked, quickly leaving her friends and moving to Emily's side to put a reassuring hand on her arm, "Is everything okay?"

Dazed, Emily looked up at the concern in the brown eyes burning into her. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just got a text message from a really old friend, and it took me off guard."

"What old friend makes you all sketchy like that?"

"Her name is Alison."

Paige put her hands on her hips. "You mean the girl who was your childhood crush?"

Emily bit her lip as she looked down at her phone again. "It was more like a first love, but yes."

Paige shrugged and shifted in place. "I don't get it. Why'd she text you?"

"She will be in Rosewood and wants to get together with the girls."

"Oh." Paige frowned, "Are you going?"

"I guess so." Emily looked down again at the text, signed with Alison's signature "-A" and it broke her heart all over again as she remembered the last text Alison sent to her all those years ago- the one that said she was leaving and to keep her in her memory. Even at that tender age, Ali knew just how to manipulate Emily's heart.

Emily glanced back up at Paige, seeing the worry there. She quickly smiled reassuringly and touched her cheek. "It's fine. Let's get out of here, okay?"

* * *

Later, Emily and Paige walked back in the room after a quiet ride in the car in which Paige had let her confusion fester into anger laced with fear and doubt, a dangerous combination she was unable to untangle as it knotted in her stomach. She stepped to the bar and began pouring a drink. "You can relax now. I don't think anyone's gonna take our picture," Paige tossed icily over her shoulder.

The barb hit its intended mark. Emily crossed her arms, watching Paige's stiff movements even as she understood her upset. Emily, however, would rather handle the small amount of ire Paige was displaying than risk a full blown wrath if she explained the real reason she didn't want to be photographed together.

As Emily watched the glass fill with brown liquid around square ice cubes, she figured that since Paige was already in a bad mood, it wouldn't hurt to ask why Paige had smelled like alcohol yesterday. She put her purse on the entry table and bulldozed head first. "So two days in a row with the whiskey? I know why today. Want to tell me about yesterday?"

"No," came the sullen reply as Paige sulked over to the couch, the ice in her glass jingling in the otherwise stony silence between the girls.

Emily sighed with exasperation. "Paige, if this relationship is going to work, we need to talk about things that bother you."

"Relationship?" Paige chuckled mirthlessly. "That requires you to spend time with me out of bed, and right now I'm wondering if you really wanna do that."

Emily felt the words like a whip across her stomach, recoiling a bit before her anger bubbled up. She crossed the room then, pulling the glass out of Paige's hand before the singer could register the intent. "God!" Emily exclaimed, frustrated. "I love you. I miss you when I'm not with you. I want to be with you every second. But I don't want our relationship splashed all over the TV and Internet."

Paige hopped up and paced back to the bar, growling as she passed by Emily who held the glass away, and grabbed the bottle from the counter where she had left it. "This is what being with me is, Em. It's public. It's what _you _made me into. You said you didn't care. What the fuck changed?"

Emily opened and closed her mouth without saying anything. Then she shook her head, trying to formulate an explanation that would placate the singer even as she watched Paige take a large gulp from the bottle. Emily couldn't bring herself to lie to Paige's face, so she turned around. "I do understand. And I do want you. But this is so new. I just want it to be between us as much as we can. Just- just to be with you. Only you."

Paige looked at Emily's back, saw the tension in it, the familiar way she hugged herself when she was upset, and Paige almost buckled, but she held onto the anger because it supplanted her hurt and fear. "That's bullshit, and you know it."

Emily whirled around, fire igniting her eyes as Paige leaned against the bar, the bottle dangling from a hand against her thigh. "Bullshit?! You wanna hear bullshit? You're mad because you think I don't want to be in a public relationship with you but you won't open up to me when we're alone."

The astuteness of the statement, coupled with Emily's righteous anger, caught Paige off guard, "My dad called. Alright?" She blurted it out before her usual safety net of silence could be deployed.

Emily immediately pounced on the information, walking over and depositing the glass she had in her hand on the bar as she reached to place her fingers on Paige's stomach, requiring the connection as she always did, even during this argument. "Why don't you want to talk to him? You said he hated you, but he called."

Paige lifted the bottle to her lips and muttered around it, "I can't talk to him now. It's too late."

Emily gasped at the pain she saw in Paige's eyes as if she had absorbed the wound the singer felt into her own heart. "Oh Paige, it's never too late for family." She grabbed the bottle out of Paige's hands, setting it aside as she wrapped her arms tightly around the other girl's waist, attempting to heal their rift and mend the tear in Paige's damaged pride all at once.

Paige slumped then, the desire to fight draining out of her as she soaked in the warmth of Emily's concern. She threaded her fingers into the hair at the back of Emily's neck and looked intently into the coal irises. "Fuck. I'm sorry, Em. I'm being an asshole." She touched their foreheads together. "I'm just not ready to talk about it yet."

Emily smiled at that and leaned to place a soft kiss on the corner of Paige's mouth, "I understand. Just don't shut me out."

Paige closed her eyes tightly, attempting to rid herself of the lingering fear and guilt and anger the argument had stirred up within her. "I'll try. I swear I'll try."


	4. Chapter 4

**"Old Friends burn dim, like lamps in noisome air, Love them for what they are ; nor love them less, Because to thee they are not what they were."- Samuel Taylor Coleridge**

Wrapped around each other on the plush sofa in the hotel suite, Paige and Emily had cuddled up for a quiet night of movie watching before Emily had to leave in the morning. Although they had not settled everything, they had silently called a truce on their argument so as not to waste their last night.

As they laid together, Paige was paying more attention to the feel of Emily's body as it rested heavily on her chest than she was to the film. Emily's warmth heated her side and her breathing, with each intake, was a little pressure of reassurance while each exhale was a little release of anxiety. Unbidden, a great rush of feelings coursed through her, and she pulled Emily closer, kissing the crown of black hair as she closed her eyes against the overwhelming emotion. At that moment, she knew she would do anything, go to any lengths, break or follow all the rules, if it meant keeping Emily safe and happy.

Feeling Paige's arms tighten, Emily picked up her head to look up at the other girl and her breath hitched at the naked and raw emotion she saw in her face. If she ever had any doubt whether Paige loved her, that look wiped it cleanly away. She blinked away a tear as she put her head back down on Paige's chest, cuddling even closer as she whispered, "Me too," responding to words that had not been spoken aloud but understood nonetheless.

* * *

Paige groaned, awakened by the soft but insistent touch snaking its way up between her thighs, barely grazing her sex before it changed course, running over her butt and then sliding down the hollows of her spine as she lay on her stomach in bed the next morning. She peeked over at Emily, watching as Emily's eyes followed the path of her own fingertips.

"I wish I could see me the way you see me," Paige said, her voice rough with disuse.

Emily's gaze flew up to Paige's face, "I wish that too."

After the movie, Emily had fallen asleep in Paige's arms, gentle caresses lulling her to sleep. Paige held her like that for a long time, soaking in the way she smelled, the movements of her sleep patterns, the way her breathing changed as she dreamed. When Paige felt herself start to slide into slumber, she awoke Emily and led her to the room, where they both disrobed and fell quickly into a close but chaste embrace as they drifted off together.

This morning's touching, although gentle, was decidedly more arousing than last night's. "When do you have to be at the airport?" Paige asked as she tucked her forearms under her pillow and leaned over to brush her lips over Emily's.

Emily pulled her hand away and rolled to her back, staring blankly up at the ceiling. "I hate that we are living between catching planes and busses. It makes me feel like I'm being torn into pieces."

Paige brought a hand out and brushed her knuckles along the side of Emily's face and then down her neck, "Aren't you the one who told me a week ago that it isn't for much longer?"

"Did I? That was stupid of me."

Paige chuckled low and deep in her chest. "It's true though. The tour is almost over."

"But then what?" Emily turned her head to look at Paige. "Seriously? What then? You go to Hollywood and I go to Rosewood?"

Paige was stymied. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," she answered tritely.

Emily snorted ungracefully, "That's a terrible answer, Paige."

Paige rolled over on top of Emily then, anxious to halt the direction of the conversation because it was treading dangerously close to a place she was still afraid to go. "I suck at words. Let me see what I can do with actions," she said as she brought their lips together.

* * *

"What did you think of Alison's text?" Spencer asked Emily as the two of them sat in Emily's apartment.

Emily had returned from Atlanta tied up in knots. She had been able to spend time with Paige, which was good, but it was clear they had some things to work out. And on top of that, Emily was scared she would get another phone call from the record company threatening her or Paige or _Serendipity_ if more images leaked that might make it seem like Paige was off the market, _which she_ _was_- unless they couldn't work out living situations, Paige's reliance on alcohol, and all the little secrets they were obviously keeping from each other. God! And then there was Alison, back from the dead, so to speak. It all made Emily's temple pound as it swirled in her mind.

"It was shocking. I mean, we haven't heard from her in ten years. Why now?" Emily frowned and added almost to herself, "What does she want?"

Spencer and Alison had always butted heads, their strong personalities at odds more often than not, but even Spencer's formidable brain had often kowtowed to Alison's wiles. "Exactly what I was thinking," Spencer mused. "Do you think she saw us- or you- in the tabloids?"

Emily bit her lip and crossed her arms, "I guess we will find out in an hour, won't we?"

* * *

As Emily walked alongside Spencer to the cafe, she could see Hanna and Aria at a table outside, speaking to a girl whose back was to them. Long, curly blonde locks flowed down the girl's back, and as they neared, Emily recognized the voice from her past, having heard it countless times in dreams since she was young. The tinkling laugh and the hair flip hadn't changed, and when Aria and Hanna looked up at the approaching girls, Alison finally turned her head.

She was still as pretty as Emily remembered, blue eyes shining and the tiny cleft in her chin prominent as she blinked, canted her head to the side, and smiled winsomely. "Emily and Spencer," she greeted as she stood, arms outstretched for a hug, "Goodness, don't you two look gorgeous? My darlings, come here!"

Spencer allowed herself to be pulled into a brief hug, but she was stiff and uncomfortable, pulling away immediately after the requisite polite hug time had past.

When it was Emily's turn, Alison pulled her in close, turning so that her mouth was against Emily's ear and murmuring a sincere sounding "I missed you so much." As Emily pulled back, she flashed Alison a small guarded grin before sitting down in the seat between Alison and Hanna.

As they all settled down and stared awkwardly for a moment, Spencer was the first to begin the conversation, "So, what brings you to Rosewood after all this time?" She raised an eyebrow as she sat back in her chair, as if daring Alison to say something untrue.

Alison seemed prepared with the answer. "My grandmother, actually. It seems she still had some things in a safe deposit box here, and she's too old to drive. I volunteered to come pick them up so that I could see my old friends." She looked at each girl. "It's really wonderful to come back to you guys."

Hanna beamed a toothy and dimpled grin, "It's totally amazing to see you again! It's like being back in school, except that we're older!"

Spencer rolled her eyes at Hanna, and before she could make the snarky comment that was on her lips, Aria cut in, "So Alison, what have you been doing with yourself since you left?"

Alison tipped her head back, her curls bouncing in the sunlight, "Oh you know, a little of this, a little of that. I graduated from Sarah Lawrence and then moved to Nashville to do some stuff there. It's terribly unexciting compared to what y'all have been doing."

Spencer grimaced. "Like not saying 'y'all'?"

Alison laughed lightly, brushing off the comment, "I guess I picked that up in Nashville." She leaned on her elbows, inviting her old friends to lean in with her. "Okay, let's dish dirt. What's been happening in y'all's love lives?"

Hanna clapped her hands. This was her favorite subject. "Oh my god! Aria's getting married, and Emily is dating a famous rock star!"

Alison leaned back from the table. "Really?" she said as she quirked her eyebrow at Emily, "Do tell."

* * *

"Is Alison going to stay with you this week too?" Emily asked Aria as they sat in the HMF office, mindlessly sifting through paperwork and bills. After their lunch meeting a few days ago, Aria had invited Alison to leave her hotel and come stay with her while she was in Rosewood, and it hadn't taken much to get Alison to agree to an extended visit.

"Yeah, it's actually nice to have someone there while Ezra is getting everything packed up in New York. I forgot how fun Ali can be."

Emily nodded. She had been out several times with Alison this past week, walking around their old haunts, reminiscing about old times while reforming their friendship. Although Emily had been skeptical at first, it seemed Alison had really grown up and shed her former self, becoming someone smart, funny, charming, and truly caring. They had even had a fun evening at Emily's parent's house, eating a pleasant dinner before playing cards and chatting with Wayne and Pam until almost midnight. Pam had also been wary of Alison, remembering how heartbroken Emily had been back then, even before she knew her daughter was gay, but Alison had quickly won her over as well.

Aria looked up from her desk, tapping a pen to her chin, "I've been thinking about asking her to be a bridesmaid. What do you think?"

Emily shrugged as she straightened a stack of papers on the desk and then filed them in a folder. "I think it's your wedding, and you should if you want to."

"Yeah, but I'm worried what Spencer will say. She doesn't seem too fond of Alison. I swear she thinks she's scheming to murder us or something."

Emily looked pointedly at Aria. "Spencer isn't your boss."

"True," Aria replied, and then with a little shake of her head, she made a decision. "Okay, I'm going to ask her."

* * *

Alison had enthusiastically agreed to be part of the bridal party as soon as Aria brought it up in the morning, and the five of them immediately scheduled a shopping trip to look for gowns and flowers and cakes as a girl's day out.

They enjoyed their time together, drinking champagne in the dress shops and discussing the merits of one color and style over others. It felt like old times, when they would all go shopping for school dance dresses, spending the time bonding, discussing their dreams, supporting one another, bolstering spirits and commiserating on shared fears. Hanna was in her element, just as she had been back then, and by the time they finished, Aria had several dresses picked out and a short list for cake decorations.

At the end of the day, Emily and Alison were alone at dinner, the other girls going home for various reasons, although Emily believed Spencer had made up her excuse just to get out of spending more time with Alison.

"Can I ask you something?" Emily asked as she pushed food around her plate. She needed someone who didn't know Paige personally to weigh in on her situation, and Alison had been such a good friend to her this week. She seemed to really understand.

"Of course," Alison put her hand over Emily's and squeezed warmly.

"What would you do if you live across the country from the person you love, and that person hasn't really talked about trying to move or do something to be closer to you?"

Alison frowned, "Oh Em, I'm sure she loves you. I mean, look at you." Alison winked appreciatively. "Maybe she's just scared."

Sighing, Emily replied, "I guess I can't expect to start playing house right away. I mean, David doesn't even want us being seen together." She picked up her wine glass, took a large sip, and then grimaced. It was an expensive cabernet that Alison had chosen from the menu, but it was too strong for Emily's tastes.

Alison raised her eyebrows at that, "Who is David?"

Emily waved it off, "Oh, the head of Eastside Records. He said Paige would be more 'marketable' if she's single."

Alison leaned back in her chair at that news, "Wow, that's awful. What does Paige think about that?"

"She doesn't know," Emily replied sheepishly.

"Hrmmm," Alison pursed her lips thoughtfully, "Relationships don't work too well if you keep secrets, Emily. Maybe y'all both aren't ready for this." She placed her hand back on Emily's forearm, and looked sincerely at the raven-haired girl.

Shaking her head, Emily looked down at the glass in front of her and then back at Alison. "I don't want to think about it right now. Let's just finish this wine bottle and talk about people from high school."

Alison crossed her arms on the tabletop and smiled wide, "You got it, darling."


	5. Chapter 5

**"The world only goes round by misunderstanding." - Charles Baudelaire**

"I can't,"

Emily responded to Paige asking her to come to San Francisco for the last week of their tour, a homecoming of sorts because they would be playing their final show at the Fillmore, one of the first places Emily had booked them. "I'm so busy at work with your tour ending because it means coordinating bookings for you again, and now I have all this bridesmaid stuff with Aria because she pushed up the wedding date."

Last week, Aria and Ezra had set the wedding date to two months from now, partly to accommodate Alison, who was available now but might not be later, and partly to avoid any more castigation from Ezra's mother, who insisted Aria was a "money grubbing fame whore." It had turned their small microcosm into a hurricane of planning and decision-making and organizing. Weddings really were a staggering amount of work, and Emily was beginning to wonder how she would fit it all in.

Paige swore softly under her breath. "You want me to wait another week until the tour finishes to see you?"

Emily gnawed at her lip as she laid on her bed, the phone at her ear the only light in her otherwise dark room. "I want to see you. But I just can't leave. I'm sorry."

"Damn."

"I know." Emily said, hating to disappoint Paige but having no other choice.

* * *

"What's got you all pissed off?"

Paige looked up to see Julie sliding onto the barstool next to her. She shrugged her shoulders, the leather of her jacket creaking a little with the movement. The patrons around her were better dressed than she was, but the bar had wisely let the star in even in faded and torn blue jeans and the scuffed jacket she wore like a second skin.

"What the fuck are you doing in here anyway?" Julie looked around at the opulent chandeliers and the white-on-white decorations. Paige, in her dark and unkempt state, looked like a fallen Lucifer skulking around in Heaven, trying not to be noticed even as she stuck out among the other angels.

"Good security," Paige answered simply and brought the crystal tumbler to her lips.

Julie flagged the bartender and ordered a beer, and then propped her elbows on the quartz surface of the bar. "So Emily can't make it, huh?" she guessed.

"Nope."

"That's shitty."

"Yep."

Julie eyed Paige's profile. The hollows in her cheeks were prominent in the harsh light, and Julie wished not for the first time that Paige would stop shouldering the burden of the band and take better care of herself. "How drunk are we getting?"

"Very."

After many drinks and a strong suggestion from a security guard cleverly disguised in a suit jacket that Paige and Julie leave their previous establishment, they left and had just stepped out of an elevator and walked through a door on the top floor of a building.

"Fuck me blind. How'd we get- hic- here?" Julie stumbled, attempting to grab onto a nearby wall and instead putting her hand on top of a painting that was probably a Jackson Pollock original. She blearily looked around, unsure exactly where _here_ was.

Paige leaned an arm on her best friend's shoulder, glad that Julie's small stature made the move easy. "I dunno. The limo brought us here, I think."

"It's a pretty nice place. Fancy."

Paige nodded, looking around in satisfaction. "Glad you think so. It's mine."

"Wha-? This place is yours? What the fuck?"

Paige walked through the condo's foyer and into a large open space with a kitchen overlooking a sunken area with couches in it. The room featured a glass wall with a view of rolling hills that were only barely visible at the late hour. She flopped down on one of the couches and spread her arms wide. "I can't live with you for the rest of my damn life. I saw this listing online, contacted the agent, and bought it."

Julie walked with wobbly knees to another one of the couches and sat down, "Just like that?"

"Uh huh."

"Ugh. I feel like I'm on a fucking merry-go-round."

"Don't puke in my new house," Paige warned as she pulled off her jacket and covered her eyes with it, planning to sleep just like that.

Julie held her face tightly between both hands, trying to will the room into stillness. "Don't give me any ideas. You still owe me, dickwad."

A muffled "humph" was the only response.

* * *

"Who is the blonde you're cheating on Paige McCullers with?"

"Excuse me?" Emily was walking from her apartment to the coffee shop downstairs, needing caffeine to prepare her for another long day of negotiating contracts and listening to the finer points of flower arrangements and seating charts at wedding receptions. The photographer was an unexpected, and very unwelcome, intruder in her morning routine. Especially since he was between her and the door.

"The blonde you've been spending so much time with. Who is she? And does Paige know her?"

"First of all, I'm a manager. I manage musical acts like _Serendipity, _of which Paige McCullers is the lead singer. Secondly, it's none of your business what I do and with whom I do it. Now if you'll please move out of my way, I have somewhere to be." She brushed by him and yanked the shop door open, beginning to shake with anger at the audacity of the press. Had they really been following her here in Rosewood? Is this what she had to look forward to? She wasn't even _with _Paige and she was being harassed!

When Emily stormed into the shop, Alison looked up from the table she sat at. "Em!" she called, catching Emily's attention after she had gotten her coffee.

"Ali. Hey." Emily walked over and plunked herself down into the chair across from her friend.

"Okay, what's going on?" Alison asked as she took in the scowl on Emily's face.

"I'm being followed by paparazzi. Who apparently think we're dating, by the way. So be prepared for _that_." Emily ran her hand through her hair. "I'm so sorry. If I had known-"

Alison reached over and patted Emily's arm, "Small price to pay. Don't worry about it, darling. I'm not." She shrugged and grinned reassuringly.

Emily smiled gratefully, thankful she had such understanding people in her life.

* * *

"Whoa Paige. Seems you aren't the only one who likes blondes," Carrie snarked as a video showed on the TV in the backstage room of the Fillmore. "I guess Emily really wasn't ready for the attention."

Paige looked up sharply, the comment breaking her concentration on the poker game she and the other band members were engaged in while they waited for the stage sound checks to be finished. What she saw made Paige drop her cards and suck a breath into constricted lungs. Emily was on the television, linked arm-in-arm with a very attractive blonde. The girls were laughing as they walked down a street in Rosewood, and the caption along the bottom of the screen read "Did they break up or is she cheating?"

Watching the scene play out, listening as the gossip columnist made it seem like the pair were dating, watching as the camera focused on the looks passing between the yin and yang of beauty, and then listening to a sound clip of Emily seemingly dismissing her relationship with Paige as purely professional, caused something green and ugly to grow within the singer. It coursed through her veins as she stood up from the table, her hands balling into tight fists at her sides, her respiration rising, and her eyes darkening with rage. What exactly was going on? Was the blonde, who clearly was Alison, the real reason Emily wouldn't come to the concert?

_Jesus. Fuck! _Paige roared from deep within her heart.

Julie watched with dread as her best friend transformed in front of her. "You're a dick." she directed the insult at Carrie as she stood and grabbed Paige by the elbow, pulling her outside into the hall. The last thing they needed was a jealous and out-of-control Paige right before their last show. "Get your fiancée out of here, Craig," she added, glaring at the smug look on Carrie's face, and then she slammed the door and turned her attention to the seething anger pouring out of their lead singer.

"She's cheating on me." The words came out rough and anguished, and Paige's eyes turned black as she felt the world tilt and begin to spin out of control.

Julie had seen that look before, and it terrified her. "She's _not _cheating on you. Those trash shows twist things around." Julie grabbed Paige's shoulders and shook her. "Emily loves you. She _loves _you. She's not Carrie."

Paige heard a loud bang, the noise shaking her body as if the earth quaked underneath her, and then she felt pain bloom hot and sharp in her hand. It wasn't until she heard Julie curse that she looked down to see that her fist had gone through the drywall next to her.

Several doors opened at the loud noise, including one from which Carson came out of. "Hey, are you guys okay?"

"Goddamn, McCullers, if you broke your hand, I'll fucking- I don't even know what I'll fucking do, but it'll be epic." Julie grabbed Paige's wrist and pulled her hand out of the wall, inspecting the knuckles as she tried to wipe the dust and paint off.

Paige growled and pulled her hand away. "I'm going to Rosewood. Tonight." She whirled and headed to her dressing room, her hair wrapping around her and caressing her back like a sinister cloak.

Julie threw up her hands, "Fine. But can we finish the show first?" she called to the retreating form. Then she looked at Carson and understood his wince.

* * *

_Go to hell  
__if you're reading this and I'm not here  
__Take your someone else  
__and let me make this crystal clear that,  
__That I don't need your help and I'm okay by myself  
__You can go to hell_

_And I feel it's time that I have said  
__There are some things that I regret  
__Like never checking out the odds against this bet  
__'Cause I would bet my favorite things I ever owned  
__That you would leave and I'd be missing you like hell  
__But I won't_

Paige was a tempest on stage, her fury blowing out her voice, leaving her heaving and livid and hoarse. Her black boots clomped loudly as she jumped on stage, punctuating the lyrics to the song as she poured out her anger. She had requested they add it to their list tonight, and everyone cringed at the heavily laden meaning behind the demand. It was a song that Carson wrote right after her breakup with Carrie, an anthem for Paige to release her wrath during that painful and ferocious time.

And she was using it again tonight, the audience shocked at her fervor, but supporting her nonetheless as they listened to the lyrics and remembered times in their own lives they had wished to say the same things.

_Go to hell  
__if you're reading this and I'm not here  
__Take your somebody else  
__and let me make this crystal clear that,  
__That I don't need your help and I'm okay by myself  
__You can go to hell_

_And make sure you take someone else  
__When you go to hell_

* * *

"Paige! Wait! Fucking stop!"

Paige was quite literally ripping off her tanktop as they exited the stage, howling briefly at whatever motion had just reinjured her bruised hand. Julie was calling after her, unsure of how to handle the situation. Should she call Emily? If she did, what would she say?

"I'm leaving." Paige's voice was a rasp, and it sounded as raw and as sawed-upon as she looked when she stopped to stare back at Julie.

"I know. Just- fuck. Just remember who Emily is, okay?" Julie pleaded.

* * *

Emily removed her dress and kicked off her heels, sighing loudly in relief. Throwing her clothes in the hamper, she grabbed a pair of gray cotton shorts from a drawer and stepped into them. "I never thought this day would be over," she commented as she padded barefoot into the living room, pulling on a comfortable sweatshirt over her head and shaking out her hair.

Alison stepped into her path, handing her a large glass of red wine and smiling gaminely. "Well, it's over now. And I picked up your favorite movie, so you can just relax and turn your pretty little brain off for a bit. Girl's night off starts now."

Taking a big gulp of the liquid, Emily was pleased that she was starting to enjoy the cabernet Alison was fond of. "You do not know how good that sounds. Thanks for coming over. I needed to get my mind off of things for a while." Emily glanced at her phone on the counter, her eyebrows pulling together absently.

"Paige will call when she can." Alison accurately guessed at the reason behind Emily's frown.

Emily nodded, leaving her phone where it lay and making her way to the couch. "I just wish I could have been there. Her last show was really important, and I missed it. I don't even know how it went yesterday."

Alison turned the movie on and patted the space next to her. "You need to let her come to you sometimes. You're too available."

"I don't want it to be like that," Emily complained as she took another sip. "I want us to just be able to say what we want, and be there for each other. I don't want to keep score. And Paige-"

A knock at the door interrupted Emily's words, and she glanced quickly over her shoulder as Alison paused the movie. "Who could that be?" She wondered aloud before she turned back to her friend apologetically. "One sec."

Emily put her glass on the table and hopped up, making her way to the door and opening it a crack to peer outside. To her delighted surprise, Paige was standing there, hands buried in her leather jacket pockets. "Paige!" she exclaimed as she pushed the door all the way open and threw her arms around Paige's neck.


	6. Chapter 6

"**The jealous are troublesome to others, but a torment to themselves." - William Penn**

Julie was in her apartment, drumming her fingers nervously on the kitchen table the morning after Paige had gone tearing across the country half cocked, a situation of which Carson was aware yet he still managed to calmly sip a latte across from her. She had called him after a fitful night during which she worried more than slept, and he had listened while she cursed Paige's coping mechanisms and hare-brained ideas, and then he dutifully came over when she ended her tirade with a command to bring her coffee. "We need to go to Rosewood," she said, finally breaking the silence that had settled between them.

"Okay," he agreed in his unshakably even voice.

"I mean, who the fuck knows what she's gonna do? What if she assaults our manager?"

Carson touched the bridge of his glasses with his forefinger as he subtly shook his head. "She wouldn't do that."

"She punched Craig in the face. Like a _right in the fucking teeth_ punch," Julie reminded him.

"Craig deserved it."

The small side grin that appeared on Carson's face sent Julie into a sudden fit of giggles. "Holy shit! I think I'm finally rubbing off on you." When her laughter died down, she reached across the table, clapped his shoulder, and looked at him fondly. "Come on. Let's go book our flights to Tim-fuck-tu."

* * *

Emily pulled back after hugging Paige, hands still behind the singer's neck as she grasped the collar of her jacket and smiled broadly, the joy she felt at the unexpected surprise showing in her sparkling teeth. It was then that she noticed Paige wasn't looking at her. Her brown eyes were instead focused over her shoulder at something in her apartment. At someone.

"Oh, Paige. This is Alison." Emily stepped back, placing one hand on Paige's arm and gesturing with the other towards Alison, who had grabbed her things and was making her way to the door.

Alison moved forward warily, conscious of the menacing glint in Paige's eyes that Emily seemed oblivious to. Apparently Paige knew about the latest tabloid gossip, and she hadn't taken it well. Alison stuck out her hand, "Hi, it's really nice to finally meet you."

Paige narrowed her eyes as she shook the blonde's hand. _What the fuck are you doing with Emily? _Paige could feel the jealousy, icy and heavy, within her, but she clamped down on it until she could fully assess the situation. She had promised Julie she would ask Emily before accusing her, and she intended to keep her promise, even if Alison's presence seemed damning. "Likewise," she said but clearly didn't mean it.

"I think it's a good time for me to leave and let y'all have some time together." Alison moved to hug Emily. "I'll talk to you later, darling," she whispered into the long black tresses. "Paige, I hope I see you again before you leave." With a final nod to Paige, Alison stepped through the open apartment door, the sound of her heels echoing in the hall as she made her way down the stairs.

Paige disliked the girl immediately and growled out in her still-strained voice, "Y'all? Who the fuck says 'y'all'?" She peeked out the door and watched the blonde as she walked down, her loose curls bouncing with each step.

Emily laughed and closed the door, pushing her up against its surface as she grabbed Paige's shirt front and leaned against her. "You and Spencer have more in common than you think," she said as she moved in to kiss Paige.

"Em-" Paige began pulling back.

"Shhhh. Don't talk." Emily said, echoing the same words Paige had said to her in New York as she pulled on the singer's hips and closed the minuscule space that Paige had managed to open between them. She wanted to reconnect, and she wanted the comfort and security that she felt when she was in Paige's arms.

"I need to talk to you," Paige protested.

"Later," said Emily, her lips searching for Paige's as she moved to caress the other girl's tautly muscled sides.

"No. Now." Paige firmly grasped Emily's forearms and pulled the searching hands away from her body, escaping the dark-haired girl by sliding out from between her and the door and earning a frustrated snort for her efforts.

Emily put her hands on her hips, eyeing the other girl but smiling indulgently. "Fine. But talk quickly." The fact that Emily couldn't see the turmoil in Paige was a testament to both Paige's restraint and Emily's impatience.

Paige put her hands on her face and rubbed vigorously, trying to scrub the image of Alison in Emily's house from her head, only to be assailed with more images of the two of them walking on a street and talking intimately, the newscaster's voice ringing dully in her memory. She slapped her jean-clad thighs loudly, startling Emily, and then she mumbled harshly, "I need a fucking drink."

Emily was instantly on high alert. The smile on her face vanished, and she instinctively crossed her arms to protect herself. Whatever the reason was that had brought Paige unexpectedly to her door was suddenly very serious and very alarming. If Paige had come all this way just to talk, what was it she needed to say? "What's going on?"

Paige turned away, threading her hands through the hair at her temples, attempting to gather herself and her words before she lashed out as she so desperately wanted to. _Emily has a right to defend herself, _Paige told herself as she stared at the wall. She tried to sound calm as she said, "Sit down."

Instead of obeying, Emily stepped toward Paige, reaching a hand out and touching her shoulder. "Paige? What happened? Are you upset because I couldn't come to see your show? I'm sorry. I just couldnt-"

"Sit down, goddamn it." Paige turned abruptly, her control cracking as she pointed to the couch.

"No." Paige's demand angered Emily. She hadn't done anything to warrant the imperiousness, and she wouldn't be ordered around. Especially without understanding the nature of Paige's upset. "Not until you tell me what's going on."

"Why don't _you _tell _me _what's going on?" The roughness of Paige's voice kept its volume low, but its intensity was unmistakable, her eyebrows knitted into a savage frown.

"What do you mean?"

Emily's confusion seemed genuine, and Paige again tried to calm herself down. "With Alison. You two got your own special feature on the news last night." Paige closed her eyes and bowed her head. She pushed her suddenly clammy hands into her jacket pockets, promising herself that she wouldn't fall apart when she heard Emily's answer. "Are you cheating on me?"

The question jolted Emily, and she felt a cold tingle in her toes as her stomach churned. "What?!"

"Are you having an affair with Alison? Is that why you didn't come to San Francisco?"

Emily's hand flew up to cover her mouth. She had never been accused, if that's what this was, of being unfaithful before, and she was assailed with a myriad of emotions. She was shocked, that was unmistakable. But she was also devastated that Paige didn't trust her. And then there was indignation mixed in. The question was an affront to her, to her love, and she simply couldn't fathom the it. The bedlam in her head caused her silence as she stared back at Paige, incapable of forming words that encapsulated her feelings.

"So it's true then?" Paige didn't look up, but her shoulders slumped perceptibly.

Emily realized in horror that Paige had taken her silence as an admission of guilt. "No! God no! I love you. I would never- No!" She ran the few steps to Paige and grabbed her shoulders. "Paige. Look at me." When Paige looked up, Emily could see the torment within. "There is nothing between Alison and I but friendship." Emily placed her hands on Paige's cheeks, looking as sincerely and as honestly as she was able, attempting to reach Paige in a way that her words could not. "I would _never _cheat on you. You have to believe me."

The singer's eyes fluttered closed again, a tear escaping from underneath a thick lash. It ran a course along the side of Paige's nose, streaking a wet and shiny path until it found the top of Paige's lip, hovering there a moment just before Emily leaned in to kiss it gently away. "I do. I do have to," Paige whispered, her voice breaking in the middle of the words as she collapsed forward into Emily, wrapping her arms around the darker girl in a hug that was almost bruising. Paige felt like she had been swept up in a maelstrom. The release of the terror and rage that she had been in the grips of had left her shivering uncontrollably, and she pulled Emily even tighter to her, eyes still shut as she fought to rein in her disobeying body.

Emily, unfamiliar with this side of Paige, ran her hands over Paige's face, over her cheeks, tracing her lips with a whisper-soft touch, afraid to stop for fear that whatever was shaking the girl in her arms would finally break her. She didn't know what else to say, so she simply touched her lips to Paige's ear and repeated "I love you" over and over until the trembling finally stopped.

* * *

"Did you get what you needed?" Alison said into her phone as she walked away from the apartment.

"Yeah. Yeah. We got some stuff we can use. Good call making sure you were there." The voice on the other end was oily and had a distinct Boston accent.

"Of course, darling. When you called and said she was on a plane, it didn't take much. Emily Fields doesn't suspect a thing."

* * *

"Come with me." Emily reached around her own back to take Paige's hands, being careful not to upset the delicate quiet that had settled within the other girl. She led her to her bedroom, stopping next to the bed and gently reaching up to slide the leather off her shoulders as Paige stood still and numb before her. Next she carefully reached down to the hem of the black t-shirt, gently lifting it up and over Paige's head. Then she directed Paige to sit down on the bed and knelt to pull off her boots, and then her jeans. All the while, Paige sat unmoving, head down, hands clasped at her knees. Finally, Emily reached to remove her own sweatshirt and then shimmied out of her shorts. Standing before the singer, she reached to run her hands through the hair draped heavily around collapsed and defeated shoulders. "Let me take care of you," she implored, and when the other girl nodded, she sat down on the bed and pulled Paige to her chest, leaning back and wrapping Paige in her arms, consoling even as she herself was still processing what had just transpired.

"I saw you, and it reminded me of Carrie, and I-" Paige shivered again as she tried to explain herself.

"Shhh," Emily comforted, "I understand. We don't need to talk about it right now." She kissed the top of Paige's head, resting her cheek there as she ran her hands over the skin in her reach.

Apparently the tabloids hadn't just harassed Emily; they had put it on display, and Paige had gotten a very distorted eyeful. Emily's earlier indignation changed targets, and she cursed the merciless and callous press that would do this to Paige. She pulled the blanket around them and settled into the pillows. In the morning, she would call Spencer and see if they had any legal recourse. As she laid there with Paige, she wondered why it was that the tabloids had begun following her in her hometown. And why would they accuse her of an affair with her friend?


	7. Chapter 7

"**We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light." - Plato**

Emily sat up. It was just becoming light outside, and she was alone in her bed. The clock next to her blinked its red light alert that 6 a.m. had just passed. The aroma of coffee wafted by her nose as she gathered a sheet around her and padded barefoot down the hall of her apartment. What she saw at the end of the hall stopped her motion.

Paige was standing naked by the window in the kitchen, a mug in her hand. The sunrise had just burst above the horizon, and it shone through the window, blazing around Paige and painting her silhouette in Helios' shadow.

"There's coffee made."

Paige's dark form lured Emily not with the words she spoke but the timber of her voice, and the sheet rustled along the ground as it pooled and billowed with Emily's stride. When she reached Paige's back, she opened the material and enveloped her within, kissing the bare shoulder in front of her before resting her chin on it.

Emily hummed contentedly. "You sure you don't want to come back to bed?"

Paige shook her head even as she reached her free hand behind her to caress Emily. "I couldn't sleep."

"Want to tell me about it?"

Paige sighed and took a sip of her coffee. She still felt angry and terrified and confused. How could she begin to explain everything in her head? She placed her coffee cup on the windowsill and turned to look at Emily for the first time that morning. Her black tousled hair, the sleepy way her coal eyes blinked, the slight curl at the corners of her full lips, their clarity all confirmed Emily's innocence of any crime. But that didn't mean her friend Alison was also guiltless. "I was just thinking about shit. Like I'm glad to be off that bus." _Coward_, her inner voice chided.

Emily could see something else going on in Paige's eyes, but she didn't want to push too hard this morning. She pressed her lips to Paige's own in a soft acceptance of the evasion. "Mmmhmm. You have a little time off before your next interview. Anything particular you want to do?" Emily winked and pulled Paige in tighter.

"I need to make a few phone calls later, but then I'm yours for the day."

"Okay. I'm going to see if Spencer can do anything about all the tabloid stuff. And I need to call Alison to prepare her. I'm not sure she knows what she walked into here, and I don't want her to be surprised." Paige made a rumbling noise in her throat that sounded like disdain, and Emily squeezed her in rejoinder. "Paige, you'll like her. I swear. How 'bout I invite her to lunch today? You can meet her and put all this to rest."

Emily looked at Paige with raised eyebrows and a hopeful expression, and even though Paige wanted nothing to do with Alison, she nodded her assent to please her- _Girlfriend? What the fuck is she now, anyway? _Paige wondered silently.

Emily grinned and pulled Paige's face in for a hard kiss. "Good. Now let's go back to bed so that I can wake up next to you." She leaned in again, kissing Paige gently this time, lingering to rub her nose on a warm cheek. "And I expect you to wake me up properly this time," she added suggestively.

* * *

After she exited the shower, wet hair sticking to her shoulders and a towel wrapped around her, Emily caught the tail end of Paige's phone call. She walked over to the singer who was sitting at the kitchen table, one hand to her forehead as she put her cell phone down on the table's surface. "Who was that?" Emily asked as she leaned over Paige's back, planting a kiss on her exposed neck.

Paige put her forefinger on the back of the phone and started to spin it around on the flat plane of wood. "That was my realtor," she said slowly.

Emily straightened up. "Your realtor?"

Paige could feel Emily's earlier warmth dissipate, and she was aware that the conversation was about to take a turn for the worse. "Yeah, I bought a place."

Emily moved back to lean on the counter behind her, Paige's seated back still to her. "You did _what_? Where?" she demanded to know.

"Nob Hill."

Emily was stunned. "In San Francisco? _That _Nob Hill?"

Paige nodded and then winced as she heard Emily move away from the counter, walk down the hall to her bedroom, and slam the door behind her. "Fuck," Paige said quietly to the empty room. She knew Emily wouldn't be happy; the dark girl had mentioned wanting to know how they would handle their distance several times already, and buying the condo was definitely a part of that. The truth was, Paige didn't know what to do about it all. They hadn't talked about the future, or what it meant, or anything really. Every time they started a serious discussion, it ended in an argument. Emily wasn't even comfortable being photographed together. _Right, _Paige reasoned, _why should I have to consult her about anything I do? We're not official, for fuck's sake._

Paige was continuing to brood at the table when she heard the click of Emily's door as it opened. She glanced up to see Emily dressed, with her hair up in a messy wet bun. Brooking no pleasantries, she sat down across from Paige. "So I guess this means we are going to keep traveling to see each other- if you even want to do that now. I mean, I have to guess at what you want because you said you wished we were closer but then you decided to buy a place in California. I'm forced to speculate."

Paige scowled at the sarcasm. "Stop. I bought it because I didn't want to live with Julie anymore. When you and I are together there, we can be alone." Paige's defensive mechanisms began to churn as she fed them fuel, and she added bitingly, "I know how much you hate being around people who might see us together."

Emily started to respond, but then shook it off, silently disagreeing with her knee jerk choice of words. Instead, she reached across the table to grab Paige's fidgeting hand before the gap between them expanded too far. "Paige, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it like that. I'm a little hurt, but I'm not going to fight with you today. I just wish you had talked to me first. But I know we'll work this out because I love you." She smiled as the brown eyes glanced up at her. "A country between us is nothing. I'd want you in my life even if you lived on the other side of the world."

One side of Paige's mouth turned up at that, and she let out a breath as she squeezed Emily's hand. "I want you too." There. That was an affirmation of commitment, wasn't it? Then she added, "Do I really have to go to lunch with your ex?" only half-joking.

"Absolutely. And she's not my ex."

* * *

The Grille was crowded in the afternoon, but Emily and Paige had been gifted a table in the corner, a position of prominence for Paige's celebrity status in their small town. Several curious patrons had glanced over and taken surreptitious pictures with their phones, but they hadn't been brave enough to come to the table. Paige looked brooding and menacing, and they had wisely given her space.

"Where the fuck is she?" Paige asked churlishly as she swigged her Jack Daniels.

Emily reached over and placed a reassuring hand on Paige's forearm. "Easy killer. You're scaring the children."

"Good. Then this lunch will be short."

"You promised me-"

Paige scowled as she cut in. "I promised you I would come. I can't promise to like her."

Emily glanced up as the restaurant door opened, a gust of wind blowing long loose blonde locks into the doorway before Alison appeared. Emily squeezed Paige's arm once more for good measure. "Can you at least stop frowning then? She's here."

To Paige it seemed like the whole restaurant had turned to see the girl as she breezed easily inside. Her dress was red and overtly sensuous, and it hugged her chest while simultaneously clinging without static to her beautifully shaped legs. A pop of red on her lips brought the eye up away from her dress, leading up further to crystal blue eyes that gazed around the room and bestowed regal glances and nods to a few lucky diners before settling themselves on Emily. The way Alison raked her eyes over Emily was decidedly untoward. Paige couldn't stop frowning after that.

_"_Hi darling!" Alison greeted Emily as she made it to the table, quickly kissing Emily's cheek before sitting down in the chair the waiter pulled out for her. "I'm sorry I'm late. Aria and I were caught up with the caterers. I hope y'all weren't waiting too long."

Emily smiled as she waved it off, "Don't worry about it."

Alison turned her attention to Paige, noting the pronounced slump and the sour look. "Paige," she began pleasantly, "I hope your night was wonderful. I'm glad you are able to spend some time with me while you're here." Alison tilted her head suddenly. "How long are you here anyway?"

"Dunno. Not too long." _I'm sure you'd love it if I disappeared so you can have Emily to yourself again._

"As much as I've loved having Emily to myself-"

Paige tried not to growl.

"-I have heard so much about you that I'm excited to meet you in person."

Paige took another sip of her drink as she slouched further into her chair. "I'm better on stage, I'm afraid."

Alison smiled. "I doubt that. Emily wouldn't be so enthralled with someone who's nothing but a performer."

"Wouldn't she?" Paige mumbled pointedly.

"So," Emily interrupted before claws came out, "Spencer thinks someone is leaking information to the tabloids. If we can find out who it is, she thinks she can slap a 'cease and desist' order on them. That could keep the gossip rags from being so nosy, although it can't stop random photographers."

Alison raised a speculative eyebrow, "Any ideas who it could be?"

"I do." Emily said as she nodded and glanced at Paige.

Paige sat up. She had her own ideas too.

"It's quite possibly Carrie or David. They know the most about our situations and whereabouts. It wouldn't be hard to leak it to the press."

Alison leaned back. "David is the record exec right? But who's Carrie?"

Paige snarled, "Carrie wouldn't do it. She wouldn't have the guts. And she doesn't gain anything by it."

Emily closed her eyes; Paige standing up for Carrie still stung. "Revenge," she stated quietly.

"Revenge for what?" Alison asked, carefully watching Paige's rising anger.

"She is Paige's ex."

"Oh my," Alison responded, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

Paige stood up and pointed at the blonde, "Back off. It could just as easily have been _you_." She picked up her glass and threw the rest of her drink down her throat. "Excuse me. I have some things to do."

Emily tried to reach for the singer, but she slipped from her fingers. "Paige, wait."

"Call me later." With that, she stormed out of the restaurant, leaving Emily speechless and embarassed.

Alison put a hand to her own cheek and looked at Emily sympathetically, "I'm sorry. If I knew how volatile she was, I wouldn't have-"

"No, it's not your fault. I shouldn't have pushed this. Paige is just upset."

"Because she still has a thing for her ex?"

Emily drew her eyebrows together worriedly, "I didn't think so. But god, I don't know. We can't seem to talk without fighting or-"

"Fucking?" Alison finished indelicately.

Tears sprang to Emily's eyes. "Is it too much, Ali? No matter how much I want it, is it too much to overcome?"

Alison handed a napkin to Emily, "Only you can answer that, darling."

"I don't want it to be." Emily said brokenly, dabbing at her eyes.

"What the fuck are you crying about?"

Emily looked up as a new, familiar, and welcome voice addressed her.

The little dynamo walked briskly to their table, her sidekick faithfully following her while carrying two duffle bags. "Seriously, if Paige touched you, I'll whip out the dick stick and beat her like a rented mule."

Emily smiled through her tears. "Julie."


	8. Chapter 8

**"Jump, and you will find out how to unfold your wings as you fall." - Ray Bradbury**

"Seriously, does the food suck so bad here that it makes you cry? Or maybe you just don't like hanging out with girls in smokin' hot red dresses," Julie joked, pulling Emily up for a tight hug and succeeding in getting a laugh out of the sniffling manager. Then she eyed Alison appreciatively. "Man, I'd probably go all homo for that, too."

"Julie, this is my friend Alison DiLaurentis." Emily gestured with a wry grin, "Alison, these are Paige's band members, Julie Klaxton and Carson Sanders."

Alison stood up and shook hands with them, bestowing a wink on Carson that made him push his glasses up his nose and blush all at once. Then she addressed them as a pair, "It's nice to meet you both. You just missed Paige, unfortunately. She had to leave unexpectedly."

Julie snorted and backhanded Carson's stomach. "Go find her. She's probably in a bar, and there can't be that many in this town. There's only like _one_ goddamn restaurant."

He nodded, blinked politely at Emily and Alison as a goodbye, picked up the duffel bags, and then left the trio of girls to themselves.

Julie grabbed a chair, spun it around until its back was to the table, and straddled it as she sat down. "Hey, Alison," she directed, "mind if I steal Emily for some girl talk?"

Alison smiled silkily, "No of course not. Em, darling, we need to quit parting like this. Call me this evening if you can."

Emily nodded, grateful of Alison's understanding nature, "I'll make it up to you. I promise."

When the blonde was out of earshot, Julie turned her attention to her manager. "Alright, tell me exactly what happened," then adding as she crossed her arms on the table, "Just leave out the naked parts because I don't need images in my head that I can't delete."

* * *

"So she didn't hit you?"

Emily had just finished telling Julie about what happened last night with Paige's jealousy and then the lunch meeting. She shook her head negatively as she finished wiping her eyes, "No, of course not."

"She decked Craig, you know. She has _never_ forgiven him, and they were really good friends before it all went down." Julie scooted her chair closer to Emily, an empathetic look on her face. "Paige doesn't love Carrie anymore. She's just showing her ass because she's scared." Julie placed a hand on Emily's shoulder. "Her last relationship didn't go so well, if you must know." That earned a small chuckle from her manager. "Paige believed you when you said you weren't cheating. That's fucking huge."

Emily understood Julie's point. Paige had basically admitted the cause of her upset last night, but that wasn't the only issue Emily was struggling with. "Julie, she bought a condo in San Francisco-"

"I know. That place in Snob Hill is swanky as shit."

"She doesn't see us together, does she?" Emily clasped her hands together in her lap, trying to keep from fidgeting as she asked the question that scared her the most.

"She wants to. I mean, would it be so bad if you moved closer to _her_?" Julie asked pointedly, earning a surprised look from Emily. "Paige is gun shy. And a little fucking emotionally retarded. That's why she got so jealous of you with your friend Alison. She can't separate normal from fuckwad crazy, and she wouldn't survive if she got hurt again. Her heart just isn't built to hold up. Fuck, that's why she drinks. It helps her handle the emotional crap."

"What should I do, Julie?"

"Talk to her."

"I can't."

"Bullshit. You're a professional talker. Do that voodoo thing you do as our band manager." Julie wiggled her fingers in the air like she was casting a magical spell, and then added, "Or show her your tits."

* * *

"How was today?" Alison spoke into her phone while she relaxed at a café table, sipping a coffee as she leaned back, ensuring the passers by got a good look at her well-turned calves when she crossed her legs.

"Perfect. You could be a professional."

She smiled and tilted her head, letting her curls drape elegantly over her shoulder. "That _is _what I'm trying to achieve."

* * *

"What the fuck are you trying to achieve here, Carson? 'Cause I don't need a goddamn babysitter."

Carson was sitting next to Paige in the Hollis Bar, his rangy form bent and huddled over a beer at the bar while Paige sat on a stool and stared into an empty shot glass. "Love," he began, ignoring her ire, "makes us fly across a country at a fleeting behest ... or at the faintest trace of unrest."

She scoffed, "Nice lyrics. New song?"

He took his glasses off. "No. It's an observation of what brought us both to this moment."

Paige tapped the glass in front of her, indicating to the bartender, who had no other customers this afternoon, that she wanted him to fill it again. "You saying what I think you're saying?"

He wiped his lenses clean on his flannel shirt, put the frames back on his face, and said, "Yes."

"You gonna tell her?"

"Perhaps. But I want to be sure of her love first. And I want some assurance that it will last and be perfect."

Paige downed the new shot of whiskey that had been poured for her, sucking in a breath as it burned its way through her esophagus. "Fuck, she loves you. Anyone with eyes can see that. And nothing is ever sure or perfect. Just jump in with both feet or you're gonna miss out on her."

"Hrmm," he said lowly, "That's good advice." He reached in his pocket, pulling out several dollars that he carefully laid on the bar before he stood and stretched to his full height. "I'd tell my friend that same thing." Then he turned and ambled out the door of the bar.

_Jesus fuck._ When Carson spoke, he always made it count.

* * *

"Oh my god, why are you calling me? Are you in jail? Is someone dead? Are you responsible for killing someone and are now in jail?"

Spencer's rapid fire questions made Paige dizzy, and it took a minute to digest them all. "No, no, and no. I just need your help with something. It's for Emily."

"Are you proposing? Because I seriously can't deal with another wedding right now. I'm up to my ears in satin and church pews."

_Jesus, does she ever shut up? Fucking shit. You need her. Just get through this. _Paige gave herself the pep talk so she didn't do as she imagined and reach through the phone and duct tape Spencer's mouth closed. "Just listen to me…"

* * *

Emily was puttering around her kitchen in the evening, waiting for Paige to call. Julie had said not to worry because Carson was keeping watch, and Paige was fine. But after lunch, Paige had only sent a quick text to Emily saying that she was busy and that she'd call later. That was two hours ago.

Emily had just started to make a cup of tea when her phone finally buzzed. It startled her, and she grabbed it quickly off the counter; the noise of the vibrations on the surface always made her skin crawl. The text was from Paige, and it simply said, "Pack an overnight bag and meet me downstairs in 10." That was cryptic, even for Paige, but Emily quickly turned off the kettle and went to do as she had been bid.

When Emily walked outside a short time later, Paige was waiting next to Spencer's car, but Spencer wasn't with her.

"Paige? What's going on?"

Paige smiled indulgently as she took Emily's bag and opened the passenger door, "Just get in the car, Em."

"Okaaay." Emily climbed in and Paige shut the door, vanishing from view before being briefly illuminated by the car's headlights and then disappearing back into the darkness while she opened the tailgate to put Emily's bag in. When she was done with that, she came over to the driver's side and slid in.

"What are we doing?" Emily asked, a smile beginning to make its way onto her lips, charmed by the sudden and uncharacteristic surprise.

Paige reached over and entwined their fingers together. "Jumping in with both feet," she replied cryptically as she stepped on the gas.

As they drove out of town, Emily recognized the familiar road as they wound up the small mountain just outside of Rosewood. She looked over at Paige, who had been quiet during the ride, spending the time peering intently at road signs as they came into view. She put her hand on Paige's thigh; a raised eyebrow was the only gesture she needed to make when Paige glanced over.

Paige caved immediately. "Spencer helped me. She got the keys from your mom and dad. I don't know what excuse she used, but I wasn't gonna go do it because 'Hey, can I fuck your daughter in your cabin?' isn't really a conversation I want to have."

Emily laughed out loud at that, squeezing Paige's leg. "I hope you never have that conversation with my parents. Ever." When she looked back over at Paige, the singer was grinning, the high beams of the car showing how carefree and young she seemed when she smiled like that. "So, is that why you're bringing me up here?"

"Well, I'm crossing my fingers."

"Mmmm. I think you're headed in the right direction."

Paige sighed loudly, "Good. Because I was afraid I was lost."

"I'm not talking about the cabin," Emily corrected.

"Neither am I."

* * *

"I remember the last time you started a fire." Emily leaned over Paige's shoulder and whispered in her ear as the singer kneeled to place logs in the fireplace. They had arrived safely at the cabin, a small log house with a quaint front porch, complete with a wooden porch swing and some very cozy but sparse furnishings inside. The cabin didn't have heat, and the temperature at night on the mountain had dropped significantly, even this late in Spring. When Emily suggested they make a fire, Paige agreed and walked over to complete the task.

The small puffs of breath on the sensitive skin of her neck made Paige shiver. "Heh, yeah, it was memorable. Not terribly romantic, but memorable." Paige quickly finished stacking the logs and then stood up, taking Emily's hand just as she had that night. "I couldn't stop myself." Unable to stop herself this night as well, she reached her free hand up to caress the other girl's darker cheek, brushing her thumb along its smooth apple, sensing Emily needed this moment.

Emily closed her eyes, leaning into the contact and reveling in the warmth of Paige's strong hands as their caresses repaired her nicked heart, reglued her loose feelings, and delicately mended her faith in their union.

When Emily opened her eyes again, they were clearer, and the doubt Paige had seen earlier seemed to have eased a little. Paige planted a soft kiss on her nose and pointed to the kitchen area. "There's a bottle of wine in the stuff I brought in. Why don't you go pour us some while I get this fire going?"

Emily flashed a smile and then moved away, holding on to Paige's hand until she absolutely had to let it drop. Paige turned back to the fireplace, more determined than ever to convince Emily that she was worthy of the exotic girl's love.

As Paige stoked the fire, Emily uncorked the wine and then grabbed two wine glasses out of the cupboard above her head. As she took them down and set them on the counter, she looked to the stone hearth where Paige was methodically performing the task she had watched her father do a hundred times before. Emily wondered if Paige had memories of her own father like the one Emily was conjuring now. Had they played ball in the yard? Did he teach Paige how to swim? What did he look like?

Emily's childhood memories of the cabin's interior, the figure hunched by the flames, and the sounds of glass clinking and crickets chirping were starkly juxtaposed with the relative newness of Paige, her own overwhelming feelings for the singer, and her suddenly very grownup responsibilities and choices. Paige's cough shook Emily out of her reverie, and she quickly finished pouring the wine as the other girl stood up and began walking around the living room, examining pictures and other small odds and ends Emily's family had left over the years.

"There's a deck of cards here." Paige commented as she peered at a small bookcase that contained some old and well-worn novels and a few random items, including the deck of cards that she picked up.

Emily's eyebrows shot skyward as she walked over and handed one of the glasses to Paige. "You want to play cards?"

"Why not?"

"Okay, it's your night. We do what you want."

A lopsided grin now on her face, Paige retorted, "I want to sit on this rug by the fire and beat you at cards."

"Well, you're welcome to try." She shrugged her shoulders at Paige as she took a sip of wine. "What game would you like to play?"

Paige thought while they made themselves comfortable next to the coffee table, sitting cross-legged facing each other on the plush and surprisingly comfortable faux bearskin. "How about Gin?" she suggested as she shuffled the cards in front of her legs.

Emily nodded. "Sure. But house rules state that the winner of the hand gets to ask the loser a question that they have to answer truthfully."

Paige barked a short laugh, "Why do I get the feeling we're playing bullshit right now?"

Emily, brushing off the question, raised an eyebrow in challenge as she crossed her arms. "Are you in or out?"

Paige scrunched her face and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment in mock thought, her full lashes looking even thicker against her cheeks in the low light. "Fuck. Okay, I'm in."

"Then deal the cards," Emily replied with a self-satisfied smirk.

Five short turns later, Emily fanned her cards out and laid them down in front of her. "Gin."

Paige looked down, unable to believe the hand was already over. "Damn," she sighed as she threw her own cards down, clearly defeated.

"Do you still love Carrie?"

"Jesus, you don't pull any punches-"

"Answer the question."

"No, I don't love Carrie."

"Good. Now deal again."

Paige blinked a few times, feeling as if she had somehow walked into a carefully laid trap. _Well, I wanted to play cards. How was I supposed to know she'd be good at this, too?_

The second hand went a little slower, giving Paige the impression that Emily had simply been lucky on the first hand. Paige only needed a single card to win the game and was pondering what her question should be when Emily laid her cards down again.

"Gin. Will you be my plus one for Aria's wedding?"

"Yeah, of course."

Emily smiled broadly, her dimples showing, and she leaned forward to kiss Paige sweetly in thanks. "Good," she said against Paige's lips, "Deal again."

Paige shuffled the cards more thoroughly this time before she dealt, but was at a loss when Emily laid her cards down once more after just a few turns. "Fuck me. Isn't this game supposed to be luck? Like I should win sometimes because of it. I mean, there's a whole fucking saying about 'luck of the draw' because of it!"

Emily smiled indulgently, "You also have to know a little about probabilities, and you need to do some card counting as well."

Paige let the hand she was holding flutter to the rug and looked admiringly at the girl in front of her, noting the way Emily's black hair covered her shoulders like a silk scarf. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"Why won't you talk to your dad?" Emily blurted out.

The smile vanished from Paige's face, and she picked up her wine glass off the nearby table, draining half of it. "That's not fair."

Emily looked back stonily, "You agreed to the terms of the game. Answer the question."

"It's not that simple," Paige collapsed and rolled onto her back, putting an arm over her eyes and trying to hide from the question like a child playing peek-a-boo.

"I'm sure it's very complicated," Emily said softly, "but I want to hear it anyway."

Paige sighed, "My dad told me not to come home if I quit college. And I quit college in an epic way." She paused for a moment, and then rolled to her side to look at Emily so she could gauge her reaction. "I was at a swim meet; I had just had a really bad fight with my dad, by the way. So anyway, I was swimming in my heat, and I just started remembering this horse race I saw where the horse just pulled up short and quit running. It was like at that moment, he realized his whole life was a sham and he wasn't gonna do what that guy on his back said anymore. So I stood up. Right in the middle of the pool. And then I lifted the lane dividers and walked under them- one of the girls in the heat had to stop swimming to let me pass- and when I got out of the pool- fuck, the silence was deafening- I walked past my coach to the locker room, grabbed my shit, and never looked back. That was it."

If Emily was shocked by the admission, she didn't show it. "You didn't talk to them anymore?"

"Nope. My teammates and my coach called and left messages. Julie tried to get me to talk to them, but I just didn't give a fuck anymore. I withdrew from classes the next day. My dad called that night and said the school had called him about my 'unfortunate departure' and he told me, 'Good luck with your life, Paige.' Those were the last words he spoke to me."

"But he called you since then, right?"

"Yeah, now that I actually made something of my life. If I had ended up failing, he wouldn't give a shit about me. No one would."

Emily scooted closer and touched Paige's stomach, a gesture that was quickly becoming her favorite way to connect with the singer because of the way the muscles jumped under her hand. "That's not true. I would. Julie and the rest of the band would."

Paige covered Emily's hand with her own, rubbing it affectionately, "You know what's really fucked up? I bought that condo in San Francisco so I could stay near him. I mean- Fuck!"

Emily's heart broke for Paige, for the courage she downplayed, for the hurt that she internalized, for the responsibility she shouldered. "God, I'm so sorry. I didn't understand, and I didn't even ask you why." She lowered herself down on the rug and shimmied herself next to the singer, laying her head on her shoulder. "Sometimes people need to be forgiven. Even if you think they don't deserve it because otherwise it eats you up inside."

Paige kissed Emily's forehead then, "I shoulda done this a long time ago."

"Done what? Play cards?"

"Trust what I feel. Tell you the truth."

"Oh, Paige," Emily propped herself up on her elbow so she could look down at the girl by her side. Paige's dark brown eyes were lit by the burning orange and yellow of the fire, its flames masking her pupils but somehow making her seem more alive as the reflections danced liquidly. "I want you. Always," Emily whispered. The singer smiled up at her and began to speak, but Emily put a finger to her lips, "I mean it. I want this relationship. I want to be with you. I love you."

"I love you, too," Paige assured, reaching up to cup Emily's face and then pulling her down for a kiss, luxuriating in the warmth of the dark girl's lips, the way they felt like silk, the unique and intoxicating taste of them. When she pulled back after a long moment, she commented, "So does that mean we're permanent? Like a permanent plus one?" she teased.

Emily nodded, moving to cover Paige's body with her own, "Very permanent," she agreed.

"So is this the part where we have sex in your parent's cabin?"

Emily laughed softly, "Mmm hmmm. It is."


	9. Chapter 9

**"There's a degree of deception in silence." - Don Lemon**

Paige woke up in a cold sweat, her heart beating rapidly as she took in a few large lungfuls of air. She sat up in the bed, the unfamiliar surroundings of the cabin adding to her panic while an owl outside interrogated the night with its question of _who who who_.

"Paige? Are you okay?" The motion woke Emily, and she reached to soothingly rub Paige's bare back, running her palm along the ridges of backbone.

"Yeah, I had a nightmare."

Emily sat up then and hugged the singer, kissing her exposed shoulder blade as she wrapped her arms around her. "I'm sorry, honey. Want to tell me about it?"

"I dreamed we were swimming- or you were to be exact- and when you got to the edge of the pool, I knelt down and pushed your head underwater and held you there."

"Oh honey, I'm sure it was just your subconscious mind working through our conversation from tonight."

"I was trying to drown you."

"Maybe that means you're worried you'll hurt me." Emily squeezed tighter when she felt the other girl shudder. "I'm not scared," she assured as she moved her hands to Paige's sides, caressing them in languid strokes. "In fact, if you lay back down, I'll show you just how not afraid I am."

Paige sighed, expelling the last remnants of unease, "Oh yeah?" she queried, looking over her shoulder.

Emily took Paige's chin in her hand, drawing her head and body around to face her. "Kiss me," she demanded.

Liquid heat tore through Paige at the simple command. Emily was hers; they had crossed over the unequivocal relationship border, so now the dark beauty that crashed through her daydreams and pumped through her heartbeats was hers. She could touch her, talk to her, taste her, share with her, make love to her, sleep next to her. Emily was finally really hers.

"I'm yours," Paige whispered fervently just before she captured Emily's lips in a lush kiss, slowly moving to ease Emily back against the headboard, feeling the raven-haired girl's hands as they swept over the planes of her back, encouraging her closer.

Paige brought her body nearer until their stomachs barely touched, Emily's thighs opening to accept her lover's body yet being robbed of the feel of it as it hovered just above. Paige braced herself on her hands as she dipped her head to run her lips over Emily's collarbone, tracing the line from shoulder to chest and then kissing down the center to her navel, breathing in the scent of her skin with long inhalations.

Emily whimpered plaintively, the heat from Paige's mouth making her want more, even as she tried to be patient at the hands of her attentive girlfriend. Girlfriend. There it was. The word pasted itself in Emily's head as she reached to grasp Paige's shoulders and tried to pull her down.

"Impatient tonight?" Paige's voice drifted up from her belly, but she couldn't think well enough to respond intelligently, and she felt Paige's resulting laugh as hot breath that ghosted down between her legs and forced Emily's eyes to shut tightly.

"God!" Emily's cry was wrenched from her throat as Paige's tongue suddenly touched her, delving softly and deliciously into her core.

Paige groaned ardently as the body above her began to writhe. This act was always Emily's undoing, breaking her down until she couldn't control her need. Paige knew she would only have a finite time to savor the intimacy before Emily would demand more, so she dipped her tongue into her lover's opening, wringing a strangled gasp from Emily as she caressed her inner walls.

When Emily reached for a fistful of hair, Paige acknowledged the unspoken request, kissing softly back up her body as she began shifting to cover the dark girl. As Paige drew her knees under Emily's thighs, she reached down, hooking her hands under Emily's calves and spreading them wide, allowing her to bring their sexes together.

Emily gasped and reached up to cover Paige's breasts with her hands, kneading nipples until they were painfully hard. "Paige please," she managed to breathe out, asking for release.

Paige leaned down to kiss Emily, licking full lips beseechingly, and when granted entry, she lightly sucked Emily's tongue between her teeth as she began to move against her.

Emily reached to bring Paige tighter to her, matching her thrust for thrust as they ground themselves together. Beads of sweat gathered and rolled down Paige's back, pooling in the dip of her spine as she rocked against Emily, and she touched their foreheads together so their breath mingled warm and moist.

Knowing from her increasingly erratic movements that Emily was close, Paige struggled to open her eyes and pick her head up, her biceps bunching with her efforts to keep pace. Emily's head tilted back, digging into the pillow. She was breathing heavily, eyes shut and teeth clenched, angelic in this moment- the only iconography that Paige would ever pray to.

"I love you, Emily."

Paige felt fingernails dig into her flesh as Emily came hard, and Paige leaned down to kiss the exposed and chorded neck as her girlfriend cried out with abandon.

* * *

Emily's phone rang in the car on the way back into town the next morning. When she looked at the name that popped up, she hesitated to answer. She had just had a wonderful night with Paige, and this call had a very good chance of screwing that up completely.

"Who is it?" Paige's asked, eyes still on the road in front of her.

"Umm. It's David Myers."

"Are you gonna answer it?"

Emily truly wanted to let it go to voicemail, but she didn't want Paige's curiosity piqued as to why she might be dodging him, so Emily clamped down on her nervousness and replied with false brightness. "Yeah, I'll just be a second." She pressed the Accept button and put the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Emily Fields!"

"Hi David. You're up early. What can I do for you?"

"Oh you're already doing it. Gorgeous, the tabloids are on fire!"

Emily glanced over at Paige, "Oh yes?" She answered, hoping she sounded casual.

"It's perfect! I can practically chart the album sales with this new love triangle angle you're working."

Emily breathed out slowly. Love triangle? "I'm so glad things are going well," she replied, intentionally vague for the sake of Paige's ears.

"Keep it up, gorgeous, and you'll have more clients than you can handle. I knew I could trust you to take care of our star."

Emily hoped Paige couldn't see the blood as it drained from her face or hear the hitch in her voice as she said goodbye to the record exec, "I'll be sure to let the band know about their success. Thanks for the call, David."

"What did he want?"

Paige didn't sound anything more than politely curious, but her question hurt Emily nonetheless- because she had to lie. "He's pleased with album sales. That's all."

* * *

"What the fuck happened to you last night?"

Paige was lounging in the hotel room's chair; Carson was in the shower and Julie was lying on the nearest bed, a beer balanced on her stomach while she flipped through local news channels on the small TV.

"I spent a night out with Emily."

"Didja apologize for being a dickhead?"

Paige scowled at her friend, who wasn't looking at her and thus the effort was wasted. "Yes, I did. We talked. It was good."

"This news channel is retarded. Who cares about this crap?" Julie asked rhetorically. "And why didn't you tell Emily about buying the condo in San Fran?"

Paige thought for a moment, "I don't know. I just figured I'd get around to it. I guess I was afraid she'd take it the wrong way."

"Which she did," Julie added.

"She is okay with it now, I think." Paige picked up a pen and began clicking it nervously. "I'm thinking I might call my dad when I get back. Maybe invite him to see my place. Maybe invite him to meet Emily."

The TV went silent immediately, and Julie sat up. "Are you fucking with me?"

"Nope."

"What are you gonna say?"

Paige slumped further in her seat, the pen's mechanism breaking the sudden quiet each time Paige pushed its button. "I don't know. But it's time to move on with my life. Emily is- well, she reminded me that I need to let things go."

Julie leaned over towards Paige from the bed. "Man, that musta been some fucking night you guys had."

Paige smiled to herself and put the pen down on the table. "Yeah. Pretty much." She stood to leave, "But now I gotta pack."

* * *

The four girls of HMF were working in the office the next morning when Alison breezed into the room carrying coffees for everyone.

"Hi darlings. I just stopped by to see everyone on my way to the hotel."

Emily picked her head up from her work, thankfully taking the proferred cup from her friend as Alison sat down on the edge of her desk. "You're not staying with Aria anymore?"

Alison's long curls bounced as she shook her head and looked fondly over at Aria, "Ezra is coming back, so our wonderful slumber party is coming to an end."

"That's actually a good idea. We should throw a party!" Hanna giddily made the suggestion, her signature dimpled grin punctuated by a happy clap. "We could do it at Spencer's and invite Julie and Carson since Paige is gone."

Alison perked up at that bit of information, "Where is Paige?"

"She had an interview in New York. She flew out last night," Emily explained.

Alison frowned down at Emily, casually brushing a nearby arm with her fingertips, "She went without her band?"

"Yes," Emily assured, "As the lead singer, unfortunately, Paige gets a lot more of the burden since the spotlight is on her."

"That must be hard on you both," Alison commented sympathetically.

"So... Party?" Hanna queried, anxious to get back to the subject.

Aria spoke from the behind her large desk, its mass dwarfing her. "Ezra and I are in."

Spencer shrugged her shoulders, "Sure. Let's do it. As long as I don't have to plan it."

"I'll take care of it all!" Hanna squealed a little as she smiled brighter, if that was even possible.

Just then the agency door opened and in walked Aaron Day, one of their newest clients. Alison's head twirled at the sound of the door, her focus now on the interloper.

When Aaron glanced to the blonde perched on the desk, Emily noted surprise on his face. "Alison!" He blinked as he called her name, "I thought you were in Nashville."

Hanna stood and moved around her desk to stand between Aaron and her friend, "You two know each other?"

Aaron nodded, "Yeah. We used to play gigs together. She's got a great voice." He paused and looked at Alison. Emily thought he looked wary. "Ali, I thought you had a record deal?"

Alison smiled quickly and crossed her legs on the desk. "I did. Nothing really came of it."

It was Aria who voiced the question on her friends' minds. "Waitasec. Alison, you're a singer? That's what you were doing in Nashville?"

Alison put her head down, a rare showing of regret, "I was trying to do it. I didn't get very far, though."

Spencer eyed the blonde from across the room, "Did you make the record?"

"Yes, but it didn't sell well, and so I dropped my management team. Actually, I parted ways with them just before I came to Rosewood. I needed a break from Nashville, so I volunteered to come here for my family."

"So HMF isn't representing you?"

Aaron's question hung heavily in the room, and Hanna swiped it out of the air. "We are now. Ali, why didn't you ask us?"

Alison blushed gracefully. "Y'all are my friends. I came here to spend time with you, not put you to work for me."

Emily reached out to touch her friend's leg. "Ali, we'd love to help you if you want us."

Alison frowned, her eyebrows knitting daintily over her baby blues. "But I'm a country singer."

"Perfect. We need to expand our client base. I know just what I'm gonna do for your marketing material," Aria said as she got up from the desk and came to wrap Alison in a hug.

Spencer glanced between Hanna, who was bouncing on her toes; Aaron, who looked like he'd just witnessed a car wreck; and Emily, Aria, and Alison, who looked like they were closer than they'd ever been as children. Spencer crossed her arms, leaned back in her chair, and narrowed her gaze in her signature Spencer way when she knew something was out of place but couldn't figure out what it was.


End file.
